Mass Effect: Razor 14/? (Saren/Ashley)
anonymous
February 13 2013, 08:46:18 UTC
“I was hoping I could do these jobs separately.” Fist took a step back. “But since Saren Arterius just walked into my bar with a human marine...and you’re both carrying bounties large enough to buy a small planet...”
Out of the corner of his eye, Saren saw the bar’s krogan bouncer reaching for his shotgun. The turian went for his pistol.
A stream of high velocity rounds from a Spectre grade handgun streamed from the bar behind him, hitting the krogan in the face and tearing most of it off. Williams was already moving as she repositioned herself for a second burst of fire.
Saren and the cop both threw themselves out of the way as they drew their own sidearms, Saren suppressing the remaining bodyguards with rapid fire, while the cop steadily fired his slow, powerful Raikou.
If the thugs had learned to shoot better, or had their barriers been higher grade, or had their reflexes been faster, then the fight would not have gone so well. Unfortunately for the thugs, their aim was pathetic, their barriers were the cheapest that money could buy, and their reflexes were sub-standard at best.
Fist looked around in disgust at his dead bodyguards. “Sure, why don’t you go kill a Spectre, he says. It’ll be easy, he says. What a load of crap.”
The cop raised his pistol. “The quarian, now.”
“Sure, sure.” Fist raised his hands. “Alleyway, just off the markets. She’s alone. My men are supposed to be meeting her there in a few minutes.”
“Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” The cop returned sarcastically.
“Who’s the quarian?” Saren turned to the cop. “And why is she important? More to the point, who are you?”
“Sir, Detective Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security.” The cop nodded respectfully. “I’m part of a task force looking into the recent geth incursions. The quarian showed up on the Citadel this morning, looking for a Shadow Broker rep, looking to sell info about it. I’ve been tracking her all day.”
“In that case, we should probably get going.” Saren turned back to Fist and shot him through the head.
Ashley and Garrus blinked in unison, staring in surprise as Fist’s body toppled over. The turian found his voice first. “What did you do that for?”
“Due process is for those whose innocence can be proven.” Saren holstered his pistol. “He was guilty.”
“What lawbook is that written in?” Ashley snarked as the Spectre turned to leave the bar.
“Like many of the best laws, it is unwritten.”
----------------------------------
Tali looked around at the dead bodies of the would be assassins. Only two of them had died by her hand. “That was...thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” Ashley lowered her pistol, glaring at Saren. “I only did it because SOMEBODY was wondering whether it wouldn’t be more efficient to let you get killed and then take the info off your body.”
Saren shrugged. “It would have saved conversation. You are the quarian looking for the Shadow Broker? The one with information on the geth?”
Tali nodded. “Yes. Yes I am.”
“How did you get it?” Ashley’s eyebrows narrowed in suspicion. “Sorry, but I’ve been shot at quite a bit more than I’m used to in the past few weeks...”
“Oh, I snuck up on a geth raiding party. Hit one of the stragglers with a jamming programme that prevented him from deleting his memory core.” Tali held up her omni-tool.
“Could you share what you have?” Garrus asked urgently. “This is a matter of galactic security.”
Tali looked unsure. “I was waiting for the Shadow Broker...”
Saren interrupted. “The Shadow Broker ordered you killed, you little fool. We’re your best chance of survival now.”
Still hesitant, but nodding slightly, Tali lifted her omni tool. Immediately, a single, cold voice began to speak.
“All geth units, this is Control. Outlying units are to commence immediate offensive actions around the Shadow Sea, Exodus and Artemis Tau clusters. This will draw Citadel and Alliance forces away from the main force on Feros, and the advanced projects on Noveria and...”
“It cuts out there for a little bit.” Tali explained. “But there’s more.”
Mass Effect: Razor 15/? (Saren/Ashley)
anonymous
March 12 2013, 03:34:00 UTC
"...and many may fall in the achievement of this goal." The voice continued. "But be steadfast. The Reapers will reward all those who serve them, now and into eternity."
Ashley frowned. "That voice...I remember it."
"Kaidan Alenko." Saren's jaw flexed slightly. "Giving orders to the geth on behalf of Shepard. This is unexpected."
"But...the geth are robots, right?" Garrus frowned as he looked over at Saren. "Why would they ally with Shepard?"
"Something to do with these Reapers." Saren's brain slowly turned over the evidence in front of him. "Maybe. It doesn't matter."
"Wait, it has to mean something." Ashley stepped toward him. "How could Shepard bring a series of AIs under her control with just a word?"
"The beacon drove her insane, but it also gave her something. Some power or code that the Protheans developed." Saren answered coldly. "It must have been what was on the beacon, an iteration that allows the control of machines."
"No, that's not what I saw." Ashley didn't back down. "I saw a war. I saw blood and death. I saw Reapers."
"A child's tale." Saren snapped back. "Delusions and nightmares of a dead species. Whoever the Reapers were, they are long dead. Our concern is Shepard and the geth. Instead of one woman, we now fight an army. This will be march harder than we expected. Now fall in."
--------------
"Well, one thing I can tell you for certain." Benezia stood from her terminal, surrounded by stacks of data files. "I do not envy my daughter her job. Trawling through masses of information, looking for little gleams that indicate a spark of truth."
"Yes...and?" Saren was beginning to grow sick and tired of the whole buisness. Why couldn't he find a group of highly skilled, highly qualified, childless, unmarried, totally focused commandoes who wouldn't mess around?
"Well, yes, these Reapers..." Benezia frowned. "I am more than certain that they existed...but they must have been a species unlike any other."
"More advanced?" Ashley queried.
"More modest." Benezia turned around. "Look at all of our combined races. We have built massive skyscrapers, temples, pyramids and sculptures. Even ancient cultures have left behind marks of themselves. But there is nothing about these Reapers. Nothing to say they existed, nothing to say they made war on the Protheans. And yet we have the Protheans own words that they were attacked by them."
"What if they were machines?" Tali proposed. "That human...Alenko, he spoke of the Reapers almost as if they were deities. What deity would the geth worship but a machine?"
"It is possible...but just a theory." Benezia frowned. "If they were machines...they could have deactivated...or...departed."
Saren shook his head and turned to leave. "I don't care to speculate on unknowns. But we won't find answers sitting around here."
"Where will we find them?" Ashley looked at the back of his grey armour.
"Exactly where Alenko said they would be." Saren smiled coldly. "Feros and Noveria."
Out of the corner of his eye, Saren saw the bar’s krogan bouncer reaching for his shotgun. The turian went for his pistol.
A stream of high velocity rounds from a Spectre grade handgun streamed from the bar behind him, hitting the krogan in the face and tearing most of it off. Williams was already moving as she repositioned herself for a second burst of fire.
Saren and the cop both threw themselves out of the way as they drew their own sidearms, Saren suppressing the remaining bodyguards with rapid fire, while the cop steadily fired his slow, powerful Raikou.
If the thugs had learned to shoot better, or had their barriers been higher grade, or had their reflexes been faster, then the fight would not have gone so well. Unfortunately for the thugs, their aim was pathetic, their barriers were the cheapest that money could buy, and their reflexes were sub-standard at best.
Fist looked around in disgust at his dead bodyguards. “Sure, why don’t you go kill a Spectre, he says. It’ll be easy, he says. What a load of crap.”
The cop raised his pistol. “The quarian, now.”
“Sure, sure.” Fist raised his hands. “Alleyway, just off the markets. She’s alone. My men are supposed to be meeting her there in a few minutes.”
“Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” The cop returned sarcastically.
“Who’s the quarian?” Saren turned to the cop. “And why is she important? More to the point, who are you?”
“Sir, Detective Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security.” The cop nodded respectfully. “I’m part of a task force looking into the recent geth incursions. The quarian showed up on the Citadel this morning, looking for a Shadow Broker rep, looking to sell info about it. I’ve been tracking her all day.”
“In that case, we should probably get going.” Saren turned back to Fist and shot him through the head.
Ashley and Garrus blinked in unison, staring in surprise as Fist’s body toppled over. The turian found his voice first. “What did you do that for?”
“Due process is for those whose innocence can be proven.” Saren holstered his pistol. “He was guilty.”
“What lawbook is that written in?” Ashley snarked as the Spectre turned to leave the bar.
“Like many of the best laws, it is unwritten.”
----------------------------------
Tali looked around at the dead bodies of the would be assassins. Only two of them had died by her hand. “That was...thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” Ashley lowered her pistol, glaring at Saren. “I only did it because SOMEBODY was wondering whether it wouldn’t be more efficient to let you get killed and then take the info off your body.”
Saren shrugged. “It would have saved conversation. You are the quarian looking for the Shadow Broker? The one with information on the geth?”
Tali nodded. “Yes. Yes I am.”
“How did you get it?” Ashley’s eyebrows narrowed in suspicion. “Sorry, but I’ve been shot at quite a bit more than I’m used to in the past few weeks...”
“Oh, I snuck up on a geth raiding party. Hit one of the stragglers with a jamming programme that prevented him from deleting his memory core.” Tali held up her omni-tool.
“Could you share what you have?” Garrus asked urgently. “This is a matter of galactic security.”
Tali looked unsure. “I was waiting for the Shadow Broker...”
Saren interrupted. “The Shadow Broker ordered you killed, you little fool. We’re your best chance of survival now.”
Still hesitant, but nodding slightly, Tali lifted her omni tool. Immediately, a single, cold voice began to speak.
“All geth units, this is Control. Outlying units are to commence immediate offensive actions around the Shadow Sea, Exodus and Artemis Tau clusters. This will draw Citadel and Alliance forces away from the main force on Feros, and the advanced projects on Noveria and...”
“It cuts out there for a little bit.” Tali explained. “But there’s more.”
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Seriously, I cannot wait for more!!!
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Ashley frowned. "That voice...I remember it."
"Kaidan Alenko." Saren's jaw flexed slightly. "Giving orders to the geth on behalf of Shepard. This is unexpected."
"But...the geth are robots, right?" Garrus frowned as he looked over at Saren. "Why would they ally with Shepard?"
"Something to do with these Reapers." Saren's brain slowly turned over the evidence in front of him. "Maybe. It doesn't matter."
"Wait, it has to mean something." Ashley stepped toward him. "How could Shepard bring a series of AIs under her control with just a word?"
"The beacon drove her insane, but it also gave her something. Some power or code that the Protheans developed." Saren answered coldly. "It must have been what was on the beacon, an iteration that allows the control of machines."
"No, that's not what I saw." Ashley didn't back down. "I saw a war. I saw blood and death. I saw Reapers."
"A child's tale." Saren snapped back. "Delusions and nightmares of a dead species. Whoever the Reapers were, they are long dead. Our concern is Shepard and the geth. Instead of one woman, we now fight an army. This will be march harder than we expected. Now fall in."
--------------
"Well, one thing I can tell you for certain." Benezia stood from her terminal, surrounded by stacks of data files. "I do not envy my daughter her job. Trawling through masses of information, looking for little gleams that indicate a spark of truth."
"Yes...and?" Saren was beginning to grow sick and tired of the whole buisness. Why couldn't he find a group of highly skilled, highly qualified, childless, unmarried, totally focused commandoes who wouldn't mess around?
"Well, yes, these Reapers..." Benezia frowned. "I am more than certain that they existed...but they must have been a species unlike any other."
"More advanced?" Ashley queried.
"More modest." Benezia turned around. "Look at all of our combined races. We have built massive skyscrapers, temples, pyramids and sculptures. Even ancient cultures have left behind marks of themselves. But there is nothing about these Reapers. Nothing to say they existed, nothing to say they made war on the Protheans. And yet we have the Protheans own words that they were attacked by them."
"What if they were machines?" Tali proposed. "That human...Alenko, he spoke of the Reapers almost as if they were deities. What deity would the geth worship but a machine?"
"It is possible...but just a theory." Benezia frowned. "If they were machines...they could have deactivated...or...departed."
Saren shook his head and turned to leave. "I don't care to speculate on unknowns. But we won't find answers sitting around here."
"Where will we find them?" Ashley looked at the back of his grey armour.
"Exactly where Alenko said they would be." Saren smiled coldly. "Feros and Noveria."
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